--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am not a performer but occasionally I…" description: "\"I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some sculptures need the movement of people around them to work.\" — Andy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/andy-goldsworthy-4466_artist_i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i_467085.png" --- # I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work… ![“I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some sculptures need the movement of people around them to work.” quote by Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/andy-goldsworthy-4466_artist_i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i_467085.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/andy-goldsworthy-4466_artist_i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i_467085.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/andy-goldsworthy-4466_artist_i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i_467085.png) > “I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some sculptures need the movement of people around them to work.” [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public art often depends on audience movement to complete its meaning, making the viewer part of the work. **In simple terms:** Public art needs audience interaction. Key Takeaway Design for engagement. Themes art public space interaction Mood thoughtful inspirational Type conceptual practical When to use this quote - museum installations - street performances - community projects - urban planning Key Concepts site-specific art participatory design environmental art Questions to Reflect On - How does audience presence shape a piece? - What strategies ensure engagement in low‑traffic areas? A Different Perspective Relying on viewers can limit impact if foot traffic is low. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Performers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performers/) [Sculpture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculpture/) [Sculptures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculptures/) ## Related quotes > [Time gives growth, it gives continuity and it gives change. And in the case of some sculptures, time gives a patina to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/time-gives-growth-it-gives-continuity-and-it-gives-change-and-in-the/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Shape and color are my two strong things. And by doing this, drawing plants has always led me into my paintings and my sculptures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-kelly/shape-and-color-are-my-two-strong-things-and-by-doing-this-drawing/) [Ellsworth Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-kelly/) > [Cars are the sculptures of our everyday lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bangle/cars-are-the-sculptures-of-our-everyday-lives/) [Chris Bangle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bangle/) > [Art is an expression of who you are. Parts that I play are my sculptures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/art-is-an-expression-of-who-you-are-parts-that-i-play-are-my/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [I really do think of them as post-minimalist sculptures, inspired in large part by some very early spacecraft that NASA built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/i-really-do-think-of-them-as-post-minimalist-sculptures-inspired-in/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [I learned about Chinese ceramics and African sculptures, I aired my scanty knowledge of the French Impressionists, and I prospered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/i-learned-about-chinese-ceramics-and-african-sculptures-i-aired-my/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [I recognize that it is through the engagement with my craft - by recognizing an idea and drawing it out, building physical models, collaborating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/i-recognize-that-it-is-through-the-engagement-with-my-craft-by/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [In the studio we use a pretty wide range of materials for the sculptures; silicone, fibreglass, human and animal hair, ABS plastic, dental acrylic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-piccinini/in-the-studio-we-use-a-pretty-wide-range-of-materials-for-the/) [Patricia Piccinini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-piccinini/) > [I began to stack my sculptures into an environment. It was natural. It was a flowing of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/i-began-to-stack-my-sculptures-into-an-environment-it-was-natural-it/) [Louise Berliawsky Nevelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/) > [I love my sculptures, and I was lucky I had them for 50 years because no one would look at them and I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cy-twombly/i-love-my-sculptures-and-i-was-lucky-i-had-them-for-50-years-because/) [Cy Twombly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cy-twombly/) > [We say to the British government: you have kept those sculptures for almost two centuries. You have cared for them as well as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-mercouri/we-say-to-the-british-government-you-have-kept-those-sculptures-for/) [Melina Mercouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-mercouri/) > [I think it was Henry Moore who was asked where he got his ideas for his sculptures, and he said something like, "I continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/i-think-it-was-henry-moore-who-was-asked-where-he-got-his-ideas-for/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [You know, I definitely have an inclination to work in the public sector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/you-know-i-definitely-have-an-inclination-to-work-in-the-public-sector/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [I work for the public, for the people who are paying to go to the cinema, rather than for the critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-costner/i-work-for-the-public-for-the-people-who-are-paying-to-go-to-the/) [Kevin Costner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-costner/) > [Sometimes I'll present a work to the public and listen to the responses-then pull it back, shape it, and put it back out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-walker/sometimes-i-ll-present-a-work-to-the-public-and-listen-to-the/) Kelley Walker ## More by Andy Goldsworthy > [Even in winter an isolated patch of snow has a special quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/even-in-winter-an-isolated-patch-of-snow-has-a-special-quality/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [If I had to describe my work in one word, that word would be time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/if-i-had-to-describe-my-work-in-one-word-that-word-would-be-time/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Winter makes a bridge between one year and another and, in this case, one century and the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/winter-makes-a-bridge-between-one-year-and-another-and-in-this-case/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Understanding the materials I work with... gives me a deeper understanding of my place. And it's helped me make sense of the changes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/understanding-the-materials-i-work-with-gives-me-a-deeper/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [I love the winter. Well, I love all the seasons, but the winter is possibly one of the most intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-love-the-winter-well-i-love-all-the-seasons-but-the-winter-is/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Time gives growth, it gives continuity and it gives change. And in the case of some sculptures, time gives a patina to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/time-gives-growth-it-gives-continuity-and-it-gives-change-and-in-the/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Sometimes you need to stop doing something to really see it afresh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/sometimes-you-need-to-stop-doing-something-to-really-see-it-afresh/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [I've laid down in dried up streambeds, leaving a shadow. And then, five minutes later, it's flash flooded, and where I once laid is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-ve-laid-down-in-dried-up-streambeds-leaving-a-shadow-and-then-five/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [When I do the permanent projects or the big projects, when a work is finished, that's the beginning of its life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/when-i-do-the-permanent-projects-or-the-big-projects-when-a-work-is/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Nature, for me is raw and dangerous and difficult and beautiful and unnerving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/nature-for-me-is-raw-and-dangerous-and-difficult-and-beautiful-and/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Ephemeral work made outside, for and about a day, lies at the core of my art and its making must be kept private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/ephemeral-work-made-outside-for-and-about-a-day-lies-at-the-core-of/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [I have to understand the nature of change. And I cannot just work with stone or the more permanent materials. I need to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-have-to-understand-the-nature-of-change-and-i-cannot-just-work-with/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Design implies a sense of mapping something out and then you follow the plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/design-implies-a-sense-of-mapping-something-out-and-then-you-follow/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [The reason why the stone is red is its iron content, which is also why our blood is red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/the-reason-why-the-stone-is-red-is-its-iron-content-which-is-also-why/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [It's frightening and unnerving to watch a stone melt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/it-s-frightening-and-unnerving-to-watch-a-stone-melt/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) [Explore all 110 Andy Goldsworthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some sculptures need the movement of people around them to work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andy Goldsworthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i-deliberately-work-in-a-public/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i-deliberately-work-in-a-public/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/andy-goldsworthy-4466_artist_i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i_467085.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/andy-goldsworthy-4466_artist_i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i_467085.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/andy-goldsworthy-4466_artist_i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i_467085.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some sculptures need the…” — Andy Goldsworthy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andy Goldsworthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am not a performer but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i-deliberately-work-in-a-public/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-am-not-a-performer-but-occasionally-i-deliberately-work-in-a-public/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```